Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

9 PHRASE If you raise your voice , you speak more loudly. If you lower your voice , you speak more quietly. □  He raised his voice for the benefit of the other two women. □  She'd lowered her voice until it was barely audible.

10 PHRASE If you say something at the top of your voice , you say it as loudly as possible. [EMPHASIS ] □  'Damn!' he yelled at the top of his voice.

11 PHRASE If a number of people say something with one voice , they all express the same opinion about something. □  This would enable the community to speak with one voice in world affairs.

voi ce box (voice boxes ) N‑COUNT Your voice box is the top part of the tube that leads from your throat to your lungs, which contains your vocal cords.

voiced /vɔ I st/ ADJ A voiced speech sound is one that is produced with vibration of the vocal cords. [TECHNICAL ]

voice|less /vɔ I sləs/ ADJ A voiceless speech sound is one that is produced without vibration of the vocal cords. [TECHNICAL ]

voi ce mail N‑UNCOUNT Voice mail is a system of sending messages over the phone. Calls are answered by a machine which connects you to the person you want to leave a message for, and they can listen to their messages later.

voi ce-over (voice-overs ) also voiceover N‑COUNT The voice-over of a film, television programme, or advertisement consists of words which are spoken by someone who is not seen. □  89% of advertisements had a male voice-over.

void /vɔ I d/ (voids , voiding , voided )

1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If you describe a situation or a feeling as a void , you mean that it seems empty because there is nothing interesting or worthwhile about it. □ [+ in ] His death has left a void in the cricketing world which can never be filled.

2 N‑COUNT You can describe a large or frightening space as a void . □  He stared into the dark void where the battle had been fought.

3 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] Something that is void or null and void is officially considered to have no value or authority. □  The original elections were declared void by the former military ruler. □  The agreement will be considered null and void.

4 ADJ If you are void of something, you do not have any of it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] He rose, his face void of emotion as he walked towards the door.

5 VERB To void something means to officially say that it is not valid. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The Supreme Court threw out the confession and voided his conviction for murder.

voile /vɔ I l/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Voile is thin material which is used for making women's clothing, for example dresses, blouses, and scarves.

vol. (vols ) Vol. is used as a written abbreviation for volume when you are referring to one or more books in a series of books.

vola|tile /vɒ ləta I l, [AM ] -t ^ə l/

1 ADJ A situation that is volatile is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly. □  The international oil markets have been highly volatile since the early 1970s. ●  vola|til|ity /vɒ lət I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] He is keen to see a general reduction in arms sales given the volatility of the region.

2 ADJ If someone is volatile , their mood often changes quickly. □  He has a volatile temper.

3 ADJ A volatile liquid or substance is one that will quickly change into a gas. [TECHNICAL ] □  It's thought that the blast occurred when volatile chemicals exploded.

vol|can|ic /vɒlkæ n I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Volcanic means coming from or created by volcanoes. □  Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions.

vol|ca|no /vɒlke I noʊ/ (volcanoes ) N‑COUNT A volcano is a mountain from which hot melted rock, gas, steam, and ash from inside the Earth sometimes burst. □  The volcano erupted last year killing about 600 people.

vole /voʊ l/ (voles )